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Growing Onion-Tips And Techniques

Growing onion may be a hobby for you but rest assured that the bulb that succeeds in growing in your own garden will prove to be useful indeed! Known for its medicinal qualities, the innocuous onion was regarded as a panacea during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. let us now see how to grow onion without taking too much of trouble.

Items Required for Growing Onion

Onion seeds or plants

Spades, Shovels & Trowels

Mulch

Compost Makers

Fertilizers

Row Coverings

How to Grow Onion

It is best to buy small saplings started from the onion seeds before you proceed to plant them. You can also grow them indoors from the seeds in case you are confident about your gardening skills.

Selecting the land comes next with a well drained square that receives adequate sunlight being ideal for it. It is a good idea to add some compost to the soil before you start planting so that the well drained soil succeeds in remaining moist.

Tilling the soil properly up to a depth of 8 inches in mandatory as is rooting out the weeds which tend to overrun the onion bulbs.

The cutworms and maggots can be eliminated by using certain nematodes meant for this specific purpose.

The plants need to be hardened before being transplanted to the selected spot in the garden.

It is now time to plant the bulbs really deep keeping a space of 2 to 6 inches between each bulb.

Spraying compost tea helps in the growth of the bulbs and is required to be sprayed three weeks after planting the bulbs for the first time with the second and third time being when the plants attain a height of 6 inches and the bulbs start swelling respectively.

Adding compost or mulch to the exposed bulbs becomes a necessity now as they are prone to be scalded by the sun.

Watering the plants until they receive an inch of it every week is required for proper growth of the onion plants.

The bulbs begin to mature and are ready to be harvested when the plants turn yellow and wither.

Tips for Growing Onion

Onion plants are liable to be infected with pink root disease.

They grow better in cooler temperatures.

Using a nitrogen free fertilizer will help the bulbs to grow bigger instead of the leaves.

Reaping the profits of your labor is easy once you succeed in growing onion, that too within your own premises.